Bottle capping machine



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/qrramvL-Ys WIT/156s l Patented May 24, 1938 UNITED s'rA'rI-,zs

v 2,118,710 Bo'r'rL-CAPPNG MACHINE Edward N. Lowry, syracuse, N. Y., assigner, by

mesne assignments, to William L. Broad, Syracuse, N. Y.

Application August 22, 1934, Serial' No. '140,946

2s claims.

This invention relates to bottle capping machines and is an improvement over that forming the subject-matter of aco-pending application filed August 6, 1931, by Joseph F. Mitchell, Serial In bottle-capping machines constructed after the manner disclosed in the above-mentioned application, Serial No. 555,458 to Joseph F. Mitchell, as well as in other machines constructed for applying cap blanks composed of paper or similar material and which are of suiiicient area to cover the head and extend around the neck of the bottles, it has been found that the caps were not always properly secured on the bottles due to the failure of accurately feeding and positioning the cap blanks over the heads of the bottles.

The general object of this invention is to provide improved means for applying cover-all caps 20 over the mouth and about the neck of milk bottles or the like for maintaining the mouth of the bottles in a sanitary wholesome condition.

One of the specific objects of the invention is to provide a new and improved mechanism for 25 feeding cap blanks having a greater area than that of the mouth of the bottle to be capped over said bottle in concentric relation with the mouth thereof.

Another object is to provide a cap-forming and stapling mechanism for a bottle-capping machine more durable inconstruction than those heretofore employed.

Still another object is to provide means for securing the folded portion of the cap blank in position on the bottle which is accurate, positive 4 and dependable in operation and which is`eco\ nomical and durable in construction.

A further object is to provide a bottle-capping machine with an improved mechanism for moving bottles to bc capped from a conventional bottleconveying apparatus into operative relation with the cap-forming and applying mechanism of the capping machine and for returning said bottles to the conveyor after the capping operation has been completed.

A still furv '1er object is to provide a simple,

durable and efficacious means whereby the capapplying mechanism may be readily adjusted for capping bottles of different heights.

Still another specific .object is to provide a bottle-capping mechanism wherein substantially all of the various moving intricate parts of thel apparatus will be encased so as to prevent such 55 parts from being brought into contact with and of the above-mentioned class which is simpler and contaminated by any fluid being carried 'by the bottles which. may accidentally be spilt from said bottles during the capping operation and also from thewashing fluid used in cleaning exposed portions of the machine after the capping operation has been completed.

Other objects and 'advantages relating to the structure of the apparatus and the form and relation of the parts thereof, will Vmore fully appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:-

Fgure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a bottle-capping machine embodying the various features of this invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the device illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view through one side of the base, taken substantially in the plane of the line 3 3, Figure 5.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 4 4, Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical central sectional view taken online 5 5, Figure. 1.

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view through the upper portion of the base taken substantially in the plane of the line 6 6, Figure 5.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional View taken on line 1 1, Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on line 8 8, Figure 7,

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9 9, Figure 6.

Figure 10 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view illustrating the bottle feed and positioning means in plan View taken in the plane of the line iB lIJ, Figure 1.

Figures 1-1, 12 and 13 are detail enlarged ver- Vtical sectional views taken respectively on lines Figure 14 is a sectional view taken on line M I, Figure 13. i

Figure 15 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view through the clutch control arm taken on line i5 i5, Figure 10.

Figure 16 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially in the plane of the line |6 i6, Figure l5.

Figure 17 is a detail sectional view taken on line II-I'l, Figure 16.

Figure 18 is a sectional view taken on line l8-I8, Figurel'?.

Figure 19 is a sectional view taken on line iB IS, Figure 15.

Figure 20 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view through the drive clutch taken on line 2li- 20, Figure 5.

Figures 21 and 22 are detail vertical sectional views taken respectively on lines 2I-2| and 22-22,' Figure 20.

Figures 23 and 24 are horizontal sectional views taken respectively on lines 23--23 and 24-24,

Figure 2l.

Figures 25 and 26 are enlarged detail sectional views taken respectively on lines 25-25 `and 26-26, Figure 20.

Figure 27 is a plan view of a portion of a strip of cap blanks illustrating the blanks in the form in which they are fed over the mouth of the bottle.

Figure 28 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view through one of the bottle-positioning means taken on line 28-28, Figure 10.

Figure 29 is a horizontal sectional view of the bottle-positioning means taken in the plane oi"` Figure 34 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional.

view taken on line 34-34, Figure 33.

Figure 35 is a detail vertical sectional view illustrating the bottle-lifting meanataken on line 35-35, Figure 6.

Figures 36 and 37 are enlarged detail sectional views taken respectively on lines 36-36 and 31-31, Figure 35.

Figure 38 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 38-38, Figure 6.

Figure 39 is 'a diagrammatic. view illustrating the development of the cam for actuating the bottle-lifting plunger.

Figure 40 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the cap-forming and securing means and the lower portion of the cap blank coil case taken in the plane of the line 40-40, Figure 2.

Figure 41 is a horizontal sectional view through the coil case taken on line 4|-4| Figure 40.

Figure 42 is a horizontal sectional view illustrating the manner in which the coil case is se'- cured to the case for the cap-forming and securing means.

Figure 43 is an enlarged detail horizontal sectional view through the drive means for the cap blank feed mechanism, taken on line 43-43, Figure 1. Y

Figure 44 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the cap blank feed means taken in the plane of the line dll- 44, Figure 40.

Figure 45 is a detail sectional view taken on line 45--45, Figure 44.

Figure 46 is a detail horizontal sectional view taken on line 46-46, Figure 4U.

Figure 47 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 41-41, Figure 44.

Figure 48 is a detail horizontal sectional View illustrating the cap blank guide plate in plan View taken substantially on line 48-48, Figure 40.

Figures 49 and 50 are enlarged detail vertical sectional views illustrating the means for severing one cap blank from another taken respectively on lines 49-49 and 50-50, Figure 48.

Figures 51 and 52 are detail sectional views taken respectively on lines I-5I and 52-52, Figure 50.

Figure 53 is a detail vertical sectional view taken in the plane of the line 53-53, Figure 48.

Figures 54 and 55 are plan viewsl of a cap blank and adjacent end portions of the cap-forming iingers illustrating the manner in which the skirt of the cap is formed into plaits about the head and neck of the bottle.

Figure 56 is a detail sectional view of the upper portion of the cap blank, with the bottle and plait-folding fingers in plan view illustrating the manner in which the plaits are folded about the head of the bottle.

Figure 57 is a sectional view taken on line 51-51, Figure 58, in the plane of the staples, with the adjacent ends of the staple-forming and driving means illustrated inoperative relation therewith. l

Figure 58 is a perspective view of the upper end of a bottle, with a skirted cap secured thereto.

Figure 59 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on line 59-59, Figure 40, illustrating the securing means and the cap plait folding means in plan view.

Figure 60 is a detail horizontal sectional view through the staple wire guide and straightening means, taken in the plane of the line 60-60, Figure 61.

Figure 61 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view taken on line 6 I-GI, Figure 59.

Figures 62 and 63 are detail sectional views taken respectively on lines 62-62 and i3- 63, Figure 60.

Figure 64 is an enlarged detail transverse sectional view of the stapling mechanism, taken on line (i4- 64, Figure 59.

Figure 65 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view through the skirt-folding finger-operating cam and the staple-forming and driving operating cam, taken in the plane of the line 65-65,

Figure 40.

Figures 66 and 67 are enlarged detail vertical sectional views taken respectively on lines 66-86 and 61-61, Figure 65.

Figure 68 is a detail horizontal sectional view taken in the plane of the line 68-68, Figure 67.

Figure 69 is a vertical end view of the stapleforming and driving means, taken in the plane of the line 69-69, Figure 68.

Figure 70 is a top plan of the case for the capforming and applying mechanism, with the case cap removed illustrating thestaple wire reels and adjacent portion of the wire feed mechanism in plan view.

Figure 71 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view taken in the plane of the line 'M -1|, Figure 70.

Figure 72 is a detail horizontal sectional view illustrating the cam for operating the wire feed mechanism in plan view, taken on line 12-12, Figure 40.

Figure 73 is an enlarged detail sectional View taken on line 'T3-13, Figure 72.

Figure 74 is a horizontal sectional view through one of the staple wire reels and the supporting means therefor taken on line I4- 14, Figure 71.

Figure 75 is a detailsectional view taken on line I5-15, Figure 74.

Figure 76 is a sectional view taken on line 'I6-J6, Figure 75.

Figure 77 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on line 'I1- 11, Figure 7l.

trolling the operation of the means for elevating and lowering -the cap-forming and applying mechanism so as to cap bottles of different Figures 83, 84 and 85 are detail sectional views taken respectively on lines 33-83, 34-84 and 85-85, Figure 82.

Figure 86 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view through the elevating control arm on line 36-36, Figure 2.

Figure 87 is an enlarged detail vertical sec tional view'taken on line 31-81, Figure 2.

Figure 88 is a horizontal sectional view taken in the plane of the line IBB- 33, Figure 86.

The apparatus comprising Athis invention is' adapted to automatically apply cap blanks of substantially the' same form and class as those shown and described in the hereinbefore-mentioned co-pending application of J. F. Mitchell, Serial No. 555,458 except thatthe blanks are attached to forma long continuous strip which is arranged in a coil upon a core; said blanks are fed -in sequential order over the mouth of the bottles to be capped between the bottles and the cap-forming and applying mechanism.

The machine, as shown, is constructed to cap one bottle at a-time and is adapted to be placed at any convenient location adjacent to and in co-operative relation with the usual conveyor used in transporting lled bottles from a conventional capping machine to receive the bottles from said conveyor, and after applying the skirted caps thereto, to return the bottles 4to the conveyor or other suitable conveyor preparatory to crating and shipping the bottles.

The machine comprises a box-like base I having -the upper end thereof enclosed by a bedplate 2 secured to the base I byscrews 3. The base I is adapted to encase the major portion of the drive mechanism for the machine and is mounted upon four posts or legs 4 which are slidably mounted in respective sockets provided in the lower portion of the base, and the base may be adjusted vertically relative to the legs 4 by means of adjusting screws B-'for the purpose of bringing the upper surface of the bed-plate 2 into co-operative relation with the usual bottle conveyor` which is indicated by broken lines as at A, Figure 10, and by full lines in Figures 33 and 34.

To the bottom 6 of the base I and positioned at one side of the center of said base, is a drive motor 1 which has the armature shaft thereof operably connected with a speed-reducing gearing illustrated in Figure 3 as a worm 8 and worm gear 9 mounted in a case I0 secured to or made integral with the case of the motor l. Thevdrive shaft of the speed-reducing gearing` extends upwardly in a vertical plane from the case ,iii in coaxial alignment with a vertically disposed drive shaft I2 adapted to operate the various operating units of the device. The drive Ashaft I2 extends from a relatively short distance above the' upper end of the shaft Il upwardly through the base I and bed-plate 3, with-the upper en'd thereof terminating some distance above the bedplate 3 within a cylindrical case I3 adapted to contain the cap-forming and securing mechanism, which will hereinafter be more. fully explained.

The shaft i2 is journaled within the bed-plate at I4 and near its lower end in a suitable bearing I5 provided in a rib I6 which extends across lthe interionof the base I intermediate the upper and lower ends thereof. The upper end of the' shaft I2 is journaled in a pair of vertically spaced bearing members i1 and I3 provided in'one side of the case I3.

An upwardly extending bracket 20 is mounted on the bed-plate 2 for supporting the case I3 and for this purpose, is provided with a pair of verticallydisposed guide flanges 2| provided in l the front face of the bracket 20 at the rear of -the shaft I2. The case I3 is releasably clamped to the' guide fanges 2|, as shown in Figures 2 and 43, by bolts 22 screw-threaded in the case lov I3 and which extend through respective holes provided in gibs 23. The outer ends of the screws 22 are provided with nuts 24 adapted to engage the gibs 23 for bringing said gibs into and out of frictional engagement with the respective guide flanges 2i.

The drive shaft I2 is releasably connected with the shaft ||v of the speed-reducing gearing by means of a clutch mechanism 26 secured to adjacent ends of said shafts. The clutch 28, -as illustrated more, clearly in Figure 5 and Figures to 24 inclusive, consists of a drive section 2l secured to the shaft II and a 4driven section 28 secured to the shaft I2. The drive section 2l consists of aflanged hub 3i) which is secured by a key or other means to the shaft ii and a drive disk 3| rotatably mounted upon" the upper end of the shaft ii between the 4hub member 30 and a nut 32 screw-threaded on the upper end of the shaft Il. I

The disk 3i is frictionally drivenv by the hub member 30 by means of a plurality of, in this instance twelve, spring-pressed balls` 33 mounted in apertures 34 provided inthe ange @f the hub 3 0in .normal registration with companion apertures 35 provided in the drive disk 3l. The extent toewhich the balls 33 are positioned in the apertures 33, is determined by a nut 38 screwthreaded on the lower end ofthe hub member 30 in engagement with the ball springs as 31, so

that the disk 3| will be driven by the hub member 30 through the medium of the balls 33'with a greater or less degree of friction, depending upon the tension of the springs and the degree to which the balls 33 are maintained within the apertures 35.

'I'he upper face of the drive disk 3| is serrated to form ratchet teeth 33 formed with the upper faces thereof beveled for the purpose of driving the clutch section 28 in one direction only. 'I'he driven section 281s releasably connected with' the drive disk 3| by means of a latch'member 30 slidably mounted in a vertically disposed slot 4U provided in the periphery of the driven clutch section 28. '111e clutch latchv 39 isheld in the slot against lateral displacementv by means of a pair of guideplates 4| and 42 secured'to the periphery of the clutch section I3 in any suitable manner. The lower end of the latch 33 isy beveled to conform to the contour of the face of l the teeth ,u with which the latch is normally yiedingly held-'in engagement by a coil spring 42 positioned in avertically disposed holeformed 

